Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-01-29
WHAT SH.ILL We READ

W uuN shall VIC cat anu W hhA shaiI w
wear? are important questions, but What
shall We read" is a question hardly less i'm
portaDt. All persons ought to read. and
they ought to select their reading wisely.
No person has a right to read poor book
no more than he has TO eat stale fruit or
vegetables, or spoiled meat. As the mind
is of more Importance than the body, so it
is really more important that it should be
properly fed. Young people, especially,
should use great care in selecting the
books, magazines and public journals
which they propose to read. Fortunately,
the world is full of good reading-bOOkS,
old and new, periodicals of the highest lit
erary. intellectual aud moral character-so
that no one need to 90 astray.
There are few books that everybody
should read-the Bible, Shakespeare, Bun
yan's Pilgrims Progress and other of the
worlds great books: but outside of these
are many books that ought to be read and
great many more that ought not to be
read: for it is quite as important that we
should know what not to read as to know
what to read. There is an immense amount
of literary trash and rubbish in the world
and people cannot read il without getting
great harm therefrOm. One who can cul-
tivate taste for good books. and can then
crafty his taste, will find that his mental
tsture will be heightened and that he will
become broader and stronger, Intellectually
aud morally.
A writer in the Chicago Daily NeICs
names ten books which he recommends
for the perusal of persons under 81 years
of age. They are:
GenningS'S Life History of the Planet.
JohnstOne's Chemistry of Common Life.
Wonders of Optics.
Wonders of Heat.
Wonders of MeteOrS.
Wonders of the Sun.
Wonders of the Moon.
Electricity in the Science of Man.
The Young NJ .chanic.
Marvels of Animal Life.
This writer was evidently of a scientific
turn, but young people (Or Old would not
go amisS iu reading the books named. They
can be drawn from our Public Library, of
which we ought to be very proud as citi-
Lens.
We take pleasure in adding the names OF
few books as suitable to be read by all
young Americans, and the pleasure We
enjoy is in the assurance that those who
read the books we mention will receive SO
much delight and benefit from their perusal
that they will thank us and congratulate
themselves, forever afterward. First let
Washington Irving's Life of Columbus
be read. Few of the worlds romances
have the charm which this book exerts, and
the information which ii contains lays a
good foundation for all historical study on
this continent. IHing'S Life of Wash
ingtOn" should next be read. But all
Americans should know something of the
history of their forefathers, the English.
One of the first secular books a child
should read is Charles Dickens's "Child's
| History of England" 1t is a very inter
esting book for adults, too. When the
| child gets older he should read Knights
History of England and when older still
he should read John Richard Green's His
tory of the English People" and everybody
should read Justin McCarthy's History
of our Own Times" a grand book, which
gives life-like and very instructive pano-
ramic picture of England under Victoria.
More mature Americans should read
BancrOft's History of the United States.
and his constitutional history; also Horace
Greeley's American Conflict" Blaine's
book; Grants Memoirs and LOgan's
Great Conspiracy" as they have time and
opportunity. As Americans We should be-
come well-infOrmed concerning our own
cOuntry-its history, its resources, its pres
ent condition, and. so far as we can, its
future outlook.
There is broad range of good, whole
some general literature embracing poetry
fiction, philosophy, fine arts. etc, etc. We
should say that people who wish to think
and talk intelligently should make them
selves familiar with LOngfellow, TennysOn,
Whittier and Burns, is well as Shakespeare;
that they should draw inspiration from
Walter Scott, Charles Dickens and William
Makepeace Thackeray, as well as our own
Nathaniel Hawthorne.
But the novel Of the period which every
one-Christian, protestant or Catholic).
Hebrew. Infdel OF Heathen-shOuld read
Is Gen. Lew. Wallace's Ben Hur." One
hundred and tifty-fiye thousand copies have
been sold within the few years since it first
appeared. and we do not know of a single
American bOOk-Or of any other published
during the last quarter of century-thai
has had such wide sale or which has ac-
plished 50 much real good. 1t is the most
| fascinating book of the period. When one
| has once commenced it he can hardly eat
OF sleep until he has finished it-and there
are few who can read it without receiving
a great intellectual and spiritual impulse.
1t is a book which enlightcns, elevates and
inspires.
1t is hardly necessary that we should add
that much care should be taken in the Sc,
lection of ones newspapers: or IN the selec-
ton of the portions of ones newspapers
which shall be read. There is much poOI
reading in the sheets which are distributed
about the cOuntry-and much very good
reading Every one should get the best,
and read the best portions of it.
THE MORMON PROBLEM.
Much practical light is thrown on the
Mormon problem by the contribution We
print this day. from the pen of former